Israeli forces target aid seekers across Gaza amid ongoing starvation
4 Min Read
Israeli occupation forces opened fire on civilians awaiting aid in multiple areas of Gaza, killing several and injuring dozens.
-
Palestinians chase humanitarian aid trucks that arrived through the Karem Abou Salem crossing from Egypt into the Gaza Strip, in Rafah, on January 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in the Gaza Strip reported that five Palestinians were killed and several others wounded by Israeli occupation forces’ fire near the Netzarim Axis in central Gaza, as they waited for humanitarian aid.
Earlier in the day, Gaza’s emergency and ambulance teams confirmed that three civilians were killed and more than 20 others injured when Israeli forces opened fire near an aid center north of Rafah in the southern part of the Strip.
Al-Quds Hospital reported receiving eight wounded individuals, including a child, all struck by live rounds. The victims were transferred from the Nabulsi Junction, southwest of Gaza City, where Israeli forces targeted civilians gathered in line for aid.
Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat also confirmed the arrival of one martyr and 10 wounded as a result of fire targeting people near an aid distribution point on Salah al-Din Street, just south of the Wadi Gaza area.
In Khan Younis, a child was shot in the head by Israeli occupation troops while present in the Bir 19 area of the al-Mawasi neighborhood.
Drone strike hits mosque minaret in Deir al-Balah
Local sources reported that an Israeli drone targeted the minaret of the Abu Salim Mosque in Deir al-Balah, striking it twice. The attack adds to the ongoing targeting of civilian and religious infrastructure across the Gaza Strip.
According to the Government Media Office in Gaza, 109 aid trucks entered the Strip on Tuesday, but most were looted due to what it described as systematic chaos instigated by Israeli occupation forces. The office accused "Israel" of deliberately sabotaging aid efforts to deprive civilians of essential supplies.
Additionally, six airdrops were reported yesterday, four of which landed in areas under occupation control or previously evacuated neighborhoods. The office described these airdrops as “useless and dangerous for starving civilians,” putting lives at further risk.
Looting and chaos undermine aid efforts
The Government Media Office warned that the situation amounts to a deliberate policy of "chaos and starvation," affecting more than 2.4 million people, including 1.1 million children, who continue to lack access to basic humanitarian supplies.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) highlighted the persistent challenge of clean water access in Gaza. "Children in Gaza wait in long lines under the sun to collect water," the agency stated, emphasizing the deteriorating living conditions.
"The crisis in Gaza is worsening and the world is watching silently," the agency warned.
Gaza’s youngest starving first
The mounting humanitarian toll in Gaza was underscored by the death of 10-year-old Nour Abu Sala'a, who succumbed to starvation and lack of medical care, an emblem of the spiraling crisis under "Israel’s" months-long blockade, which has cut off food, medicine, and clean water for Gaza’s 2.1 million residents.
In a damning alert released on Tuesday, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a global hunger watchdog, warned that "the worst-case scenario of famine is currently playing out" in Gaza. The IPC noted that acute malnutrition, disease, and extreme food deprivation have reached catastrophic levels in several areas, especially Gaza City.
Although Gaza has not yet received a formal famine designation, pending a full assessment, the IPC confirmed it would begin one “without delay". The group, composed of 21 UN agencies and humanitarian organizations, said current data already shows Gaza surpassing famine thresholds for food consumption and child malnutrition.
"Immediate, unimpeded humanitarian access at scale is the only way to prevent more deaths and further catastrophic suffering," the IPC stated. The organization emphasized that nearly 90% of Gaza lies under evacuation orders or within militarized zones, making food distribution almost impossible.
